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Two Canadians killed in Kabul hotel attack

An Afghan security personnel keeps watch near the Serena hotel, during an attack in Kabul March 20, 2014. Taliban gunmen attacked the luxury Serena hotel on Thursday in the centre of the Afghan capital Kabul, police said, and four of the assailants were killed in a shootout with Afghan security forces. REUTERS/Ahmad Masood

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CALGARY — The Calgary woman who was killed by Taliban gunmen in a luxury hotel in Kabul Thursday was devoted to peace and wasn't afraid, her grieving brother said Friday.

Zeenab Kassam, 57, one of two Canadians killed in the attack, had been teaching English to girls and boys as an aid group volunteer in Afghanistan's capital city for the past year and a half and didn't express fear, Karim-Aly Kassam said.

"This is not about the Afghan people, this is about a small, extreme minority of very dangerous people who've found a home in Afghanistan," Kassam said. "She was committed to understanding, not violence, to communication, not belligerence.

"She felt safe, she was treated well...I can't believe this is happening."

An Afghan security personnel is silhouetted while keeping watch near the Serena hotel, during an attack in Kabul March 20, 2014. (REUTERS/Ahmad Masood)

Afghan authorities said the four attackers managed to enter the heavily secured Serena Hotel and hid in a washroom for hours before gunning down diners in the hotel's restaurant, which is a popular spot for foreigners.

Liberal Sen. Mobina Jaffer identified the other Canadian killed as Roshan Thomas, who had been operating an independent school for children in Kabul since 2003.

Friend of mine Roshan Thomas killed in Kabul . Her husband #Dr.Thomas thier children and she worked hard for the betterment of Afganistan

"On behalf of all Canadians, we extend our sincerest condolences to the families and friends of those who were killed and injured," he said in a statement. "Acts of terror must not go unpunished, and those who perpetrated and supported this violence must be held accountable."

It's the latest in a series of Islamist attacks ahead of the April 5 presidential election, which would mark the first time in the country's history that one elected government hands power to another.

Last week, Canada pulled out its last troops from Afghanistan, most of whom were training the country's armed forces. But many fear foreign troops are leaving before security has been achieved in a country that's known war for the past 35 years.